The fly, to me, in the plagues of Egypt is a picture of a false convert. Pharaoh had repented and then repented of his repentance. The way of fallen men, under the subtle influence of Satan, is to quiet his fear but never truly address his problem. The fly was a necessary plague and one which the Holy Ghost tells us will distinguish true Israel from the rest of the world. (Exodus 8: 22-23) So, then the fly becomes a pest with a purpose.
What is a fly? How does this tiny creature represent false religion? A fly is a maggot with wings. It is born in the dead carcass of the beast and feeds on his rotting flesh until he reaches his maturity and then he undergoes an amazing change. He no longer resembles what the used to be outwardly but his appetite is still the same. Find a dead carcass and there you will find hundreds of maggots and swarms of flies.
Every time I looked up the word worm in the scripture it had the same definition; wiggling maggot. In almost every instance it was used to describe fallen man. In Job 23 the prophet said this, “How then can man be justified with God? Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? Behold even the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight. How much less man that is a worm, (wiggly maggot) and the son of man, which is a worm? (Job 25: 5-6)
The beast which John saw in his vision, in Revelations 13, is the beast of false religion in the entire world. It is in the rotting carcass of this beast where the spiritual fly lays her eggs and raises her young. Where death and dung are abundant so will be the swarms of flies.
The fly was highly regarded in Egypt and worshipped as the god of healing. They called their fly god Beelzebub (Lord of flies) No matter what the problem, it is generally understood that religion is the cure.
Another reference to the fly is in Ecclesiastes 10: 1, “Dead flies case the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor---“ All spiritual flies are dead spiritually and they all cause the true medicine to stink. Upon hearing the truth proclaimed they immediately set it in a bad light to others. By misunderstanding the truth they make the gospel a savior of death unto death.
Finally, I would leave you with this warning. The fly is in its last stage before death. Those whose obstinate rebellion has now blossomed into maturity are in the final stages of reprobation. In the light of what has been said, will you read again with me from Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians? “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work; only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (II Thessalonians 2: 7-12)
So that the reader doesn’t think me to be some spiritualist driven into a mad unscriptural speculation of the word of God, I’ll close with Isaiah’s prophecy of the gospel day (age) when God himself shall give us the sign of the virgin born Son of God, Emmanuel. “And it shall come to pass in that day (that day of deliverance and revelation of truth) that the Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the uppermost part of the rivers of Egypt and for the bee that is in the Land of Assyria. He shall hiss for the fly again and for the same purpose; to put a division between his people and the people of this world.” Surely we are living in the tomorrow of which God’s prophet has spoken. Let us take comfort in this..”In the land of Goshen in which my people dwell, no swarms of flies shall be there.” (Exodus 8: 22) Thank God for his sovereign distinguishing grace. -- Darvin Pruitt
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